Batangas city: Acting Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has directed all police units to investigate potential connections between PHP2.6 billion worth of smuggled cigarettes intercepted in separate operations in Batangas City and Malabon City on New Year's Eve.

According to Philippines News Agency, the PNP discovered about PHP1.1 billion worth of allegedly smuggled cigarettes in Batangas City during an anti-car theft operation on Wednesday morning. Later that night, the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) seized approximately PHP1.5 billion worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes at a dockyard in Malabon City. Both operations were part of efforts to curb car theft.

Nartatez stated that the PNP is collaborating with the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and other law enforcement agencies to trace the source, distribution routes, and possible financiers of the seized cigarettes. He emphasized that these operations are not isolated incidents, pointing to warehouse-level storage, planned logistics, and significant capital as indicators of organized criminal group involvement.

Nartatez affirmed the seriousness of these cases, stating, "We will exhaust all the measures to identify those responsible. We will get to the bottom of this case."